This is a two-part assignment.

Part One:

First, you are to compare the news content of a local television news program to the content of a local newspaper.

• Watch either the 6 p.m. or 11 p.m. newscast on WRTV-TV (ABC affiliate, channel 6), WISH-TV (CBS affiliate, channel 8) or WTHR-TV (NBC affiliate, channel 13) or the 10 p.m. news on WXIN-TV (Fox affiliate, channel 59). Select what you believe are the THREE most important stories in terms of relevance, usefulness and interest to viewers.
  
  
• The next day, read the front page of one of these three newspapers: Ball State Daily News, The Muncie Star Press or the Indianapolis Star. Select what you believe are the THREE most important stories in terms of relevance, usefulness and interest to readers.
  
  
• For EACH of the THREE newspaper and the TV stories, briefly explain what the story was about and how the reporter approached it, explain who you think the intended readers (for newspaper) and viewers (for TV) were ... and the basis for your opinions. One paragraph for each story explanation.
  
  
• For EACH of the newspaper and the TV stories, list ALL of the seven potential news values (* the six from Telling the Story, plus “magnitude”) each story COULD demonstrate, note whether it does, and explain the basis for your judgments.
  
  

Part Two:

Next, you are to read and analyze the following two paragraphs of information. Imagine that you’re a reporter for a Muncie newspaper, radio station or television station. You need to figure out exactly what the story is about, why it should be published or broadcast, and how to handle it.

For each paragraph, list ALL the potential news values and how relevant they are to the information presented. Then write no more than two sentences identifying the most important information in the story and what the story is really about. Then write no more than one or two sentences explaining how the story should be played and why: Is this front page/lead story or something that gets buried deep in the news?

Paragraph 1:

A spokesperson for Italian Motors today announced that the company will close two factories in the United States. The spokesperson said the primary reason for the shutdown was high labor costs. According to the spokesperson, Jason Smith, Italian Motors plans to retain its other two U.S. plants in Dublin, Ohio, and in Ada, Oklahoma. The rest of the company’s production of automobiles will return to Italy. The factories that will be closed are in Baltimore, Maryland and Muncie, Indiana. The Baltimore factory employs 2,500 people. The Italian Motors plant here employs 1,900. Italian Motors is the third-largest employer in Muncie. The two factories will be closed on the first of the year. Smith said there are no plans for placing laid-off employees at any other factories.

Paragraph 2:

The Muncie City Council met last night. Last week’s minutes were approved. The Council voted 9-0 to send flowers to Martha Jones, the wife of Police Chief John Jones. Mrs. Jones is in Ball Memorial Hospital after she broke her hip in a fall two days ago. The Council approved, by a vote of 9-0, the Health Department’s supplemental budget request. The Health Department requested an extra $3,000 for the second half of the fiscal year. That’s the same amount as the Health Department requested and received as a supplement in the first half of the fiscal year. The Council approved, by a vote of 7-2, a plan to make three downtown streets—Liberty Street, Washington Street and Adams Avenue—one way. Liberty and Adams will go north; Washington will go south. Council member James Scott proposed the plan and said that the change would help the flow of traffic in the downtown area. Council member Jane Donaldson argued against the plan. She said that it will confuse people and hurt downtown businesses. The plan called for police to begin changing traffic signs and rerouting traffic today.

YOUR TYPED, DOUBLE-SPACED assignment is due at the start of class on Tuesday, September 5, 2006.